Catholics and Muslims defend life against abortion law in Indonesia

Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, Buddhists and Hindus have joined together to protest the liberalizing of Indonesia’s abortion laws. Although the bill has been approved by the country's Parliament, it still needs to be signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

At a press conference at the headquarters of the Indonesian Ulemas Council in Jakarta, religious leaders and diverse non-governmental organizations condemned the “moral defect” of the norm that has legalized abortion in certain instances. Leaders underscored that “all religious creeds respect human life from the moment of conception.”

“No reason can justify abortion, the killing of a human life,” they said. The new law would allow abortion on demand up to the sixth week and when the life of the mother is in danger.

Father Sigid Pramudji Pr, the secretary general of the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia, underscored: “We reject any proposal for induced abortion.” Ma’ruf Amin, director of the Indonesian Ulemas Council, said his organization would be filing a constitutional challenge against the new law.

Originally the battle against the new law began with Catholics and Muslims, who were later joined by Protestants, Buddhists, Hindus and members of pro-women organizations.